Simplify your day and invite more fun into your week.
Created exclusively for HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS in the FOREIGN SERVICE community
Growing through Passion Projects
Enroll your high school daughter in our intentionally tiny cohort community where she can expand her creativity, deepen her appreciation of herself, and create a project that will push her out of her comfort zone as she explores her interests. Imagine if your daughter had the space and support she needed to grow into the strong and confident human that you know already exists inside her.
This program is designed for girls who may:
**describe themselves as shy at times
**have a hard time finding their space and using their voice
**excel academically but are looking for ways to stand out in college applications
**want to begin a new activity or dive into a subject alongside an encouraging community
**characterize themselves as "procrastinators" and are looking for true accountability
**have difficulties making friends at their current FS Post or International School and are looking to connect with other FS teen girls with shared interests in a judgment-free space
Through this program, participants will find a supportive community and work towards a goal while discovering what they're passionate about. Ultimately, participants will be free to work as their true authentic selves, no matter what project they work towards while making a few friends along the way.
Who, specifically, is this program designed for? It's simple -
*Students who identify as girls
*Students currently enrolled in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade
*Students who are part of the Foreign Service community (this includes any agency you can think of that requires families to move to a new city every few years, usually to work in or with US Embassies. If you are part of this community - you already know it:-))
Foreign Service
WHY IS THIS PROGRAM GEARED TOWARDS FOREIGN SERVICE COMMUNITY MEMBERS?
I have three daughters who grew up overseas. As members of the Foreign Service community, we enjoyed activities and experiences that would not have been possible while living back home in the US. We are thankful for those experiences.
Life for high school-aged students overseas does have its limitations, however, when it comes to participating in activities outside of the International School setting or the Embassy community. FS students must often be especially creative and think outside the box to find opportunities. I want to provide students with a community that will allow them to collaborate with other girls and work towards a goal while they grow as students.
What might a "passion project" look like?
Each student's "passion project" will be as unique as she is. No two projects will be the same, because no two students are exactly the same. Creating a "passion project" will provide your student with an opportunity to explore their interests, develop a new skill, or learn more about a specific topic. It can be a creative entrepreneurial endeavor, a research paper, an intentional goal in overcoming self-limiting beliefs, or a community service project.
A passion project can be a rewarding experience. But, let's be realistic - "passion projects" are trendy buzzwords, aren't they? Your student need not find their "passion" in life at such a young age. We won't be searching deep to find out what their life's "calling" will be. That's just crazy and, frankly, unnecessary. The goal in having your student develop such a project is to give them an authentic and meaningful way to creatively explore their current interests and create excitement about the world around them, while also developing skills like time management, goal setting, problem-solving, and creativity.
Take a look below to see what a "passion project" might look like. The examples below were totally made up by me (parent coach Angie). Students are much more creative than these and their project ideas will come directly from their hearts.
The PROCESS, not the PRODUCT
the process is what we emphasize
as this is where learning, creativity, and growth happen.
Hannah
YouTube video
Yoga stretches for High Schoolers
Hannah has grown concerned with the amount of sitting that high school students have in their daily lives. She notices her own legs often feel "stiff" after class, so she starts to incorporate yoga into her life. Doing stretches after school feels great and she starts to infuse a few stretches in between classes. She feels so much better with her new routine, so she decides to create a mini-series of videos to post on youtube to share these stretches with her school. She then collaborates with one of her teachers who agrees to incorporate one stretch per day into their classroom so students can practice the proper form of the yoga stretch poses.
LaTesha
Personal journal
Logs interactions on phone calls
Latesha can chat with pretty much anyone via text or email with unlimited confidence. She seems to know exactly what to say when she's able to write it out. But, on the few occasions where she's required to actually talk to someone in person or over the phone, she freezes. She just isn't used to it. She has great relationships with adults in her life, like her teachers and coaches, but it's difficult for her to talk to people she doesn't know. It's never bothered her before, but she knows she wants to get a part-time job soon, so she wants to overcome this fear. So, LaTesha begins to make quick phone calls to local businesses to ask questions and finds other ways to interact with safe professionals in other situations. She then keeps this information in a personal journal so she can observe her own growth.
Jada
Weekend discussion group
Gathers students in a club format
Jada is a bi-racial American 10th-grade student at an international school overseas where there are very few students who identify as Black or Mixed Race. She is a high-achieving student and has an active social life. Students and teachers alike are all kind to her. She does, however, experience several microaggressions every single day. Whether they are intentional or not, they still upset her and she doesn't know how to handle them. Lacking the ability to organize an official club at school for various reasons, she decides to create an informal discussion group with a few of her peers in the FS community. In this group, they discuss how they feel when they experience daily life as students of color and talk about how they stay mentally strong and confident when facing hardship and negativity.
Camila
Family book
Collects photos & stories from family
Camila misses her family back in the US. She follows her cousins on Instagram and feels left out when she sees family gatherings. When she goes "home" on R&R's, she feels so rushed as she tries to navigate visitations with both her paternal and maternal grandparents, old friends, friends of her parents', and other people she hardly knows. She doesn't feel like she gets a chance to really "know" her close family members individually, both young and old. So, she decides to create a family book for herself. She creates a plan to call each family member personally and interview them from Post. She then organizes her info and requests photos from each person. Her family book is shared with others who decide to order books for themselves and everyone learns a little more about each member of their family and they all feel more connected to each other, even though some of them are in Wisconsin and others are in Kazakhstan.
what is the cost?
The "GROWTH THROUGH PASSION PROJECTS" is an ongoing program. Participants are encouraged to stick around for the year in order to gain the most from our community and grow alongside others in their cohort of 3-5 students. So, sign up your daughter for a month and see how it goes!
Monthly cost per participant: $97.00
